Emma Raducanu: British No 2 suffers 6-1 6-0 to Iga Swiatek at Australian Open | Tennis news

Emma Raducanu managed just one match against second seed Iga Swiatek as she dropped 11 in a row in a 6-1 6-0 hammering in the third round of the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena.

It matched the defeat she suffered to Elena Rybakina at a WTA Tour event in Sydney three years ago.

The only previous time Raducanu had played in Melbourne Park’s main arena was against Coco Gauff two years ago, where she acquitted herself well, but Swiatek was simply too good.

“I think it was a game going, I knew I had to play really well,” said Raducanu, who is yet to win a set in four matches against Swiatek.

“I think today, credit to Iga, she played good tennis, but I think it was a bit of her playing well and me not playing so well. That combination is probably not good and resulted in today.

“Obviously the score line was pretty tough. I feel like I look back and know exactly what to do and I take that as feedback.”

‘No excuses behind it’

Having entered the tournament without warm-up matches following a back spasm – which flared up again during her second-round win over Amanda Anisimova – a third-round, Raducanu’s best here, is by no means a disaster.

She highlighted her serve as the key area she needs to work on if she is to get closer to the top players after being broken 16 times in six sets and hitting 24 double faults.

“Three weeks ago when I was in Auckland I was doing pool rehab,” said the 22-year-old, the only British woman to reach the last 32.

“I think being on a tennis court and playing matches and competing is something I have to be grateful for.

“I started hitting when I came here 18 days ago. I have to take it positively that I was able to beat two top opponents in the first two rounds. But I think today, no excuses from the back or physically .

“I think what I want to improve is serving. In the first two matches I got away with it against two top players because I was able to defend and move, use the rest of my game.

“If I’m not necessarily able to hold my service games or dictate, I feel like it seeps into the rest of my game.”

In a way, it will be a bit of a learning curve for Emma to go back to the drawing board and think if she wants to challenge these top players, she has to play with intensity for a longer period of time, and that’s what she already knows.

Swiatek enjoys ‘perfect match’

Swiatek was so slow to come out to serve that she was timed out before the match began, but after that the Pole was a woman in a hurry, with the warm, sunny conditions giving her heavy shots even more pop.

The Briton dug in well to hold serve in his opening game, but that proved to be as good as it got, with Swiatek virtually flawless while Raducanu couldn’t land enough first serves.

Her backhand, normally one of her best assets, was also breaking down and Raducanu looked like she couldn’t wait to get off the court after the 70-minute demolition.

Swiatek is a famously good forerunner and this is the 26th match in which she has recorded a 6-0 set at a Grand Slam – whereas world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka managed it only nine times.

“I played a couple of shots that I thought afterwards, this is what I practice for,” said the second seed, who is bidding for a first Australian Open title.

“I felt like the ball was listening to me. All the tactics and everything I wanted to do, I could do. So I just kept going. This match was kind of perfect for me.

“I wouldn’t say I’m reckless. I just try to have the same kind of attitude and the same kind of focus no matter what the score is. But it’s not like I’m trying to show anything. I’m just playing my game . If that works, why stop?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m ruthless,” added Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion and winner of the 2022 US Open. “I’m just trying to have the same kind of attitude and the same kind of focus no matter what the score is.

“But it’s not like I want to, you know, show anything. I’m just playing my game. If it’s working, why stop? I’ve also seen a lot of games when somebody was down like 2-5 or something. You must always just keep going it’s not over until it’s over.

Raducanu was proud of how she handled the occasion despite the result and is keen to get straight back to work, with her next tournament scheduled to be in Singapore in just over a week – live on Sky Sports Tennis.

“I think one of my goals for this year is just to be consistent, run with it,” she said.

“My team will probably tell me to take it easy. I feel like I have pretty good stuff to work on and feedback. I probably just want to get into that as soon as possible.

“I feel like I’m speaking from a pretty rational place. I’m not necessarily overly emotional in any way.”

Rybakina, Lys and Svitolina join Swiatek in the last 16

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina joined Swiatek in the round of 16 with a 6-3 6-4 win over Dayana Yastremska, but only after receiving treatment on her back while the eighth seed Emma Navarro and ninth seed Daria Kasatkina also advanced.

German Eva Lys became the first lucky loser to reach the women’s fourth round since 1988 when she beat Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 4-6 6-3 6-3, her reward a date with Swiatek.

Ukrainian 28th seed Elina Svitolina stormed through the final set to defeat Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini 2-6 6-4 6-0.

Former quarter-finalist Svitolina to face Veronika Kudermetova in the last 16, she said she was inspired by her husband Gael Monfils’ victory against US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz.

Two-time semi-finalist Madison Keys defeated fellow American and former runner-up Danielle Collins 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 23 minutes to earn her place in the last 16, where she will face Rybakina.

Tenth seed Collins had hit back at the raucous crowd in Melbourne during her previous boutbut hurt his knee during the second set against Keys.

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